In trying to save ailing flag carrier Alitalia, Italy has one objective in mind: get Lufthansa onboard. I’ve written often about the struggles at Alitalia. As the struggling carrier continues to lose money, the Italian government is looking for...
Why? Lufthansa Ready To Invest 200 Million Euros In Alitalia
Alitalia is out of cash (again) and Lufthansa stepping up to offer 200 million euros ($223MN). Since when is Lufthansa in the business of losing money? While Lufthansa has officially said, “We are not commenting on this,” numerous reports...
Hey Delta, Where’s The Outrage Over Alitalia’s New U.S. Route?
Alitalia announced new seasonal service between Rome and San Francisco next summer. Did I miss the outrage from Delta? When Air Italy announced new service between Milan and San Francisco, Delta CEO Ed Bastian was outraged, penning a fiery...
Lufthansa Wants Friendship, Not Marriage With Alitalia
While Delta has submitted a lowball offer for Alitalia, Lufthansa just wants a partnership. “Investing is out of the question for us alongside a state-owned entity,” said Lufthansa CEO Carsten Spohr. That is music to the ears of Lufthansa...
Lufthansa Confirms Interest in Alitalia Investment
Lufthansa’s position has not changed: it wants to invest in Alitalia. Last week I wrote about the latest plan in Italy to re-nationalize Alitalia. Fulfilling a campaign promise, the recently-elected government is essentially saying Alitalia is as part of...
Italian Government Wants to Fight Air Italy By Nationalizing Alitalia (Again)
I’m reading between the lines here, but what do you think it means when the Italian government plans to take control of Alitalia (once again) in order to build a flagship airline of “Italo character”? Alitalia is heavily in debt and...
Bankrupt Alitalia Abandons Beautiful Retro Uniforms for Ugly New Look
Alitalia logic: our airline loses money every year, costs are out of control, but let’s unveil totally new uniforms even though we just changed them a few years ago. Tell me how you really feel… Ok, I’ll try be...
Alitalia, ANA Form Strategic Partnership
Alitalia and ANA are linking up…further proof of the waning power of alliances. Until recently, Alitalia and ANA would have been viewed as strange bedfellows. Alitalia is a member of SkyTeam and ANA a member of Star Alliance. But...
My Thought Process In Building A Multi-City Award Trip
We receive many interesting requests at Award Expert, my award booking service, including some that require a bit of creativity. Let me tell you about a recent trip. The client lived in Philadelphia. His destination: Beijing. He wanted to...
Live and Let’s Fly Weekend Digest: March 11, 2018
Another week spent entirely on the ground…this is really something out of character. But I’ve cherished the time spent with my wife and son lately: the little one is growing up so fast. I hope to finish up my...
Reminder: Your Alitalia Miles Expire on March 31st (and How to Extend Them)
Just a friendly reminder that if you are still sitting on Alitalia MilleMiglia miles from last year, you have until March 31, 2018 to burn them. In some loyalty programs, your miles expire due to inactivity. In others, your account expires...
Air Italy: Qatar’s Plan to Destroy Alitalia
Air Italy wants to be the flag carrier of Italy, taking over beleaguered Alitalia’s long-held dominant position. Air Italy is actually already Italy’s #2 carrier, still flying under the Meridiana name. Last year Qatar Airways acquired a 49% stake...
